1/2 c of food

I finally made it to stage 2, pureed/soft foods.  I am allowed 1/2 c. of foods.  I find that I am often hungry after a few hours.  I'm still having trouble drinking protein and getting fluids in.  I find I can't drink when I'm not thirsty.

Did any of you find yourself to be hungry after 1/2c of food? 

If I don't get enough fluids I feel like I am starving. Also if I don't get my 70-80g of protein I am hungry throughout the day.

I often drink when I am not thirsty, cuz we have to! Once you get into the routine of getting enough fluids (waiting the required time after your meal) I think you will feel better and less hungry between meals.

An irony that I have found is that if I don't drink I don't feel thirsty and the more I drink the thirstier I get.  I make sure I always have something nearby to drink and I have no problems but if I get too busy and forget to drink I don't even get thirsty to remind me.

Are you getting protein with that 1/2 cup of food?  At that stage I had to add unflavored protein to my greek yogurt, soups and oatmeal to get my protein count up. 
If the 1/2 cup of food is mostly carbs, you will feel hungry sooner than if you were eating protein.
You will also have to train yourself to drink more water/crystal light/milk/green tea....whatever your liquid of choice might be.  It is hard to retrain yourself to do anything....but drinking enough water is so very important to your weight loss and kidney health....don't let yourself off the hook on this one, keep working at it.
It does take a while to get everything working, everyone is different....we all find different ways to make it work.  Keep trying new proteins, you will find one that you like.  I ordered a bunch of sample sizes from vitalady.com, finally found two or three that I can tolerate....I even enjoy some of them.
Good luck on your journey, it's all worth it!
Sara in Maui

 How much protein powder did you add? I am confused about that..I also read powdered milk can be added?

The amount of protein varied by how thick the original food was.  I would start by measuring out a scoop of protein into a sealable container....I had a bunch of 4 ounce containers with lids around at the beginning. 

I would add the protein gradually by the spoonful into whatever food I was eating.  You don't want it to be too thick.  I would add it to my greek yogurt and then add a splash of milk to thin it a little bit.  I also used sugar free jello pudding mix with plain greek yogurt in the beginnning, I was very conservative with my carb intake and didn't eat any of the flavored yogurts in the beginning.

I added the protein to everything....refried beans, yogurt, ricotta cheese, and soups.  

The pre-measuring method helps with keeping track of your protein count, it's way too hard to keep track of a teaspoon here and a tablespoon there....counting the scoops per day is much easier!
I used Unjury unflavored protein, it didn't smell as proteiny to me.  I would usually mix it in one bowl and then pour the soup, yogurt or whatever into another bowl with a different spoon.  The smell really bugged me at the beginning, I got over it!  

My favorite protein shake has turned out to be one scoop Jay Robb Chocolate, 1/2 scoop Nectar Cappuccino blended with skim milk and ice.  It's still my go to after workout shake. 

Good luck figuring it out....it takes a while, but you can do it!

Sara in Maui

 Thanks Sara..I need to learn how to do this..I need extra protein, can't seem to get enough right now...

I am 8 months out and my surgeon still has me on 1/4c of food per meal, at least 2 hours a part 4-6 times a day. I allowed myself 1/2c at each meal for a week or so last month and found that I actually got hungrier. This month I'm back to strict doctor's orders but supplementing with protein bars.shakes and I don't feel hungry at all. Strange.

 I didn't have trouble being hungry for a couple hours.  My dietitian suggested the 1/2 of food every 1.5-2 hours so I didn't have a chance to feel hungry.  For the food I used 2 oz of chicken breast and 1/3 cup of refried beans pureed with 1 tsp of taco seasoning and a splash of chicken broth or 2 oz of chicken breast and 1/3 cup of canned pumpkin pureed with 1 tsp of curry powder and the splash of chicken broth.  I use the canned chicken from Sam's/Costco.    I also used 2 oz of canned tuna pureed with 1/3 cup of Fage Greek yogurt (plain) and 1/2 tsp of lemon pepper.   These are primarily the meals I ate during pureed stage.  In-between I would use the 1/2 cup of  muscle milk light to supplement the protein.    I found eating with a espresso spoon which holds about 1/2 teaspoon to be helpful too.  That was just me though. :)  Good luck finding something that works for you!!

When I first started my soft foods I felt hungry alot.  I don't know if it was a mental thing or what.  Now that I've been on it for a couple of weeks, I definatly get full after 1/3c of food.  I also make sure that my meals are high in protein.  Refried beans, cottage cheese, eggs, ect...